Once Upon a University Campus

A jumbled up Rubik's cube

Lunch and a mini interview with Mr Khanna had taken away much of her afternoon. Despite knowing that she had just received access to data and that she was still familiarizing herself with the research problem, Mr Khanna went on and on asking her question after question on what she thought of the costs. Annika initially stood her ground and tried to convey that she did not know enough to answer his questions, but Mr Khanna would not accept anything but a definitive answer. Was he trying to feel important by making her feel insignificant? That would be something common with Mr Outsider, ain't it ? She got irritated and just went along with whatever he had to say. He asked her for a writing sample, an essay on environmental costs of air pollution right then and there. She knew it was unfair but decided to have some fun.

She pretended to be working at the laptop, copy, pasted articles she found on the internet and wrote down a phony statistical model using notations. She knew it made no sense whatsoever, but it was very unlikely that Mr Khanna would figure that out. It was her way of getting back to someone who was being rather unfair to her.  Meantime, she could notice Mr.Outsider furtively. He was the CEO of a big conglomerate, he was right in saying that time was super precious, but still he was right there among them, accessible and approachable. People just seemed to stop by at his desk all the time. She was surprised to see this side of him, something she would not imagine in a million years had she known him only as Om's rude brother. Annika wondered what all they might be discussing with him in the 5-20 minutes they spent at his desk, their personal problem? That the chaiwala chotu is not putting enough sugar in their chai? Or say, Tina complaining that there were not enough mirrors in the restroom. Annika chuckled to herself. After pretending to work on the essay,spending just the duration that would convince Khanna that she indeed worked on the essay, she took a print out of the same and handled it over to him. As expected he did not understand a thing of the phony statistical model she had put down but his ego too big to ask her for an explanation. He shrugged and raised his eyebrows before letting her go.

As she was leaving, Mr Outsider seemed to notice her and waved a goodbye at her still standing by his desk at the other end of the office. She looked around to see if he was waving at someone else around her but it was just her there.  Before she could hesitantly wave back at him, she could see that he had found it funny and was smiling with his hands back on his waist. Annika had to do the disappearing act fast.

Only after she came out of the building that she realized the time. It was already growing dark, it did so early during winters. She hoped to get a ride, a rickshaw ride would be nice at this hour, and after this long a day. But there were none to be seen. She kept walking, she could hear the dull sound of her new shoes. She missed Chandi though, Chandni slapping against her heal and the rhythmic purr of the leather bearing her weight made when it hit the tarred surface of the road. She continued for a while, still no luck with a ride, that she became aware of footsteps behind her. It sounded like men's boots and at least two pairs of them. Were they following her? She reduced her pace. The pace of the boots reduced. She increased her pace, so did that of the boots.  She then suddenly bolted across the road hoping to elude them. She saw two very young men, on the other side of the road. She quickened her pace but she could hear them catch up. It was a very normal experience for a girl who was raised in Delhi and knew her way out. Her Chandini doing the talking and some yelling would have helped her. But today it was different, she was carrying a laptop which, she was told contained data that could bankrupt the Oberois. She intertwined her arm to the strap of her bag containing the laptop and started running. She could not go have gone far before she had to stop to catch her breath. By then she knew running was not going to work.

Phone call! Whom should she call, Saahil? No he did be needlessly worried. Om ? Darn he does not even have a cell phone. Prof Phatak? She dialed his office number. The phone kept on ringing but he would not pick it up. He was not in his office.  She tried to call Nidhi, but Nidhi sent her a message saying she was in a seminar and would call her back later. Hostel? May be Rana ji will be around. Ranaji indeed answered the call. She was relieved but it did not last long. A cricket match was underway and it was too noisy for Ranaji to hear a thing, all she could hear was multiple 'hellos' from the other end.. By now she was desperate to speak to someone, or get a ride, just get away from there with the laptop intact. She could still hear the boots.